In an open pit mine, soil, rocks and other material, referred to as overburden material, are excavated to uncover the material of interest (i.e., the mined material), such as coal. Once removed, the excavated material is generally transported to another area of the mine. Methods for transporting from the removal area to another location include using trucks, cross-pit conveyors and other various conveyor systems. Another transportation method involves excavating material with a dragline and dumping it away from the excavation area. While these transportation methods are widely used, they tend to be very costly or impractical as the amount of overburden material overlying the mined material increases. Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved method and system for moving excavated material from its removal location to a desired location in an open pit mine.